*** Official Michael Turner 2007 offseason thread *** (1 Viewer)

[Tau837]

Interested in homer opinions on this, like Maurile's. Before Sproles broke his leg, wasn't there talk of working him into the offense as well? If the Chargers do truly make a concerted effort to get more snaps for Turner, does that come at the expense of a role in the offense for Sproles? What do people think of Sproles' prospects?

(NFL question, not fantasy question.)

 

[Tau837]

My man crush on Turner has become even greater with how well he has dealt with this whole ordeal. There needs to be more players with an attitude like this in pro sports.

Agree completely.

Agree completely.

 

[code]

Who is the backup RB to LJ in Kansas City and SA in Seattle or SJ in St. Louis (the other three RB's in LT's class)? They're irrelevant. Of course, if what I'm reading is true, San Diego doesn't have a weakness among all 22 starters that play each down. That said, how can anyone rank them below New England.

Super Bowl odds. The Chargers are still the favorites, ahead of the Colts and Pats.

Hmm...New England 2/1

San Deigo 6/1

Indianapolis 8/1

source

New England 6/5

San Diego 7/2

Indianapolis 5/1

source

New England 3/1

San Diego 6/1

Indianapolis 8/1

source

 

[humphrp]

My man crush on Turner has become even greater with how well he has dealt with this whole ordeal. There needs to be more players with an attitude like this in pro sports.

Agree completely.

Agree completely.

Also agree. Those who have handcuffed Turner with LT2 have two RB's that are fun to root for. They are just good guys. I love building a team with good quality players (talent and character). Jus need to find a way to get Charles Johnson on my team.

 

[RedZone]

My man crush on Turner has become even greater with how well he has dealt with this whole ordeal. There needs to be more players with an attitude like this in pro sports.

Agree completely.

Agree completely.

Also agree. Those who have handcuffed Turner with LT2 have two RB's that are fun to root for. They are just good guys. I love building a team with good quality players (talent and character). Jus need to find a way to get Charles Johnson on my team.

Normally, I would never add a near-useless post like this... but MT has undoubtedly proven himself to be a class character, a team player and a person of qualities beyond his athetic talents and ability. I wish he was the norm rather than the exception.

 

[BoltBacker]

Interested in homer opinions on this, like Maurile's. Before Sproles broke his leg, wasn't there talk of working him into the offense as well? If the Chargers do truly make a concerted effort to get more snaps for Turner, does that come at the expense of a role in the offense for Sproles? What do people think of Sproles' prospects?(NFL question, not fantasy question.)

IMO the Chargers are going to play all the players that give them the best chance to win in '07 and in the '07 playoffs. There was talk of working Sproles into the offense more by the old coachins staff(I believe he was even moved out of the backfield in the hopes SD could get the ball to him in space) but his development isn't nearly as important to SD as getting this team to the Superbowl. As long as LT is healthy Turner should and will get almost every other carry in the backfield except for the occasional bone thrown to Neal. If there's no injury to LT/Turner I'm not even sure if Sproles handles all the return duty he has in the past with Turner and Davis probably vulturing some of those opportunities.

 

[Verbal Kint]

They could have swapped picks w/ Tennessee as part of the deal and ended up w/ Michael Griffin, who would have been an immediate contributor. OTehr then that, aside from the fact they likely won't get anything for Turner in the offseason, they didn't "lose" mush for 07.

They'll get a 3rd rounder as compensation in '09 for losing Turner. So AJ Smith's choices were:1) Swap picks with Tennessee - (effectively dealing Turner to move up 11 spots)or 2) Keep Turner for the '07 Super Bowl run, and get a 3rd rounder in '09.

Per the NFL Network Radio it (I believe G Brandt was the source), SD was offered the Cowboys 1st round pick (1.22) for Turner during the draft and SD turned it down.Effectively Smith is putting all the eggs in the 2007 basket.

I view this mostly as interesting commentary on the Comboys outlook on JJ and MB III. Turner > JJ, MB III and a 1st round pick

 

[Tau837]

Interested in homer opinions on this, like Maurile's. Before Sproles broke his leg, wasn't there talk of working him into the offense as well? If the Chargers do truly make a concerted effort to get more snaps for Turner, does that come at the expense of a role in the offense for Sproles? What do people think of Sproles' prospects?(NFL question, not fantasy question.)

IMO the Chargers are going to play all the players that give them the best chance to win in '07 and in the '07 playoffs. There was talk of working Sproles into the offense more by the old coachins staff(I believe he was even moved out of the backfield in the hopes SD could get the ball to him in space) but his development isn't nearly as important to SD as getting this team to the Superbowl. As long as LT is healthy Turner should and will get almost every other carry in the backfield except for the occasional bone thrown to Neal. If there's no injury to LT/Turner I'm not even sure if Sproles handles all the return duty he has in the past with Turner and Davis probably vulturing some of those opportunities.

That's kind of what I was wondering... it's kind of like barring injury there is no longer a role for Sproles.

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

Interested in homer opinions on this, like Maurile's. Before Sproles broke his leg, wasn't there talk of working him into the offense as well? If the Chargers do truly make a concerted effort to get more snaps for Turner, does that come at the expense of a role in the offense for Sproles? What do people think of Sproles' prospects?(NFL question, not fantasy question.)

Sproles really hasn't gotten a chance yet to show his stuff on offense. He's proven to be a pretty good kick returner and a below average punt returner (because of issues handling the ball). He's shown some ability in very limited touches on offense in the regular season.I will say, though, that despite his limited regular season reps, he drew rave reviews in the offseason camps for the last two seasons. His quickness and ability to change direction have gotten people's attention.That said, he may never be more than a change-of-pace/third-down guy for any NFL team on offense. And while he might be a great change of pace for a Rudi Johnson type of back, he's not much of a change of pace from Tomlinson. So I don't think he'll ever have a big role (barring injury) for the Chargers.

 

[Trap Play]

From PFT:

POSTED 5:24 p.m. EDT, May 2, 2007TURNER SEES GLASS AS $2.35 MILLION FULLAfter efforts to trade him went nowhere, Chargers running back Michael Turner will play for the team in 2007, and will hit the free-agent market in 2008.Though this means that he won't get an eight-figure bonus as part of a new deal as the starter with a new team, Turner is okay with it. "Who can complain about making seven figures?" Turner said, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.On Monday, tough-guy G.M. A.J. Smith declared that trade talks for Turner had ended, and that L.T.'s backup will be with the team in 2007. "That's it,” Smith said. "It's over . . . I didn't want to be fooling around with this until October."Yeah, it's a real burden, A.J. On par with shaking up a bottle of Snapple.But he apparently means it. "Even if you have a guy blow out a knee in training camp, don't call," Smith said. Oooooooo.If that's the case -- if Smith wouldn't consider giving up Turner under any set of circumstances -- will he really be able to let Turner walk away next March and get nothing in return?When Drew Brees' rookie contract expired, Smith suggested that the team would slap the franchise tag on him simply because they couldn't justify getting nothing in return for his rights. And this makes us wonder whether Smith might be plotting an eventual franchising of Turner, if for no reason other than to get a draft pick or two for him next year.Technically, teams aren't allowed to use the franchise tag simply as a way to facilitate a trade. And using the tag would require the Chargers to offer Turner a one-year salary in excess of $7 million. And if Turner signs the tender the salary becomes fully guaranteed.But if the Chargers are serious about not trading Turner in 2007, we wouldn't be surprised to see the team try to find a way to trade him in 2008 in lieu of letting him walk away.

Why can I totally see AJ Smith doing this. Good Lord, I, and most likely no one else, wants to go through this again next year. :(

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

Technically, teams aren't allowed to use the franchise tag simply as a way to facilitate a trade.

I don't think that's true. Or, at least, I'd like to see a citation to a provision of the the CBA for it. I've read through the franchise tag rules and didn't see anything like that.

 

[code]

Who is the backup RB to LJ in Kansas City and SA in Seattle or SJ in St. Louis (the other three RB's in LT's class)? They're irrelevant. Of course, if what I'm reading is true, San Diego doesn't have a weakness among all 22 starters that play each down. That said, how can anyone rank them below New England.

Super Bowl odds. The Chargers are still the favorites, ahead of the Colts and Pats.

Hmm...New England 2/1

San Deigo 6/1

Indianapolis 8/1

source

New England 6/5

San Diego 7/2

Indianapolis 5/1

source

New England 3/1

San Diego 6/1

Indianapolis 8/1

source

Did you miss this MT?

 

[ConstruxBoy]

From PFT:

POSTED 5:24 p.m. EDT, May 2, 2007

TURNER SEES GLASS AS $2.35 MILLION FULL

After efforts to trade him went nowhere, Chargers running back Michael Turner will play for the team in 2007, and will hit the free-agent market in 2008.

Though this means that he won't get an eight-figure bonus as part of a new deal as the starter with a new team, Turner is okay with it.

"Who can complain about making seven figures?" Turner said, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

On Monday, tough-guy G.M. A.J. Smith declared that trade talks for Turner had ended, and that L.T.'s backup will be with the team in 2007. "That's it,” Smith said. "It's over . . . I didn't want to be fooling around with this until October."

Yeah, it's a real burden, A.J. On par with shaking up a bottle of Snapple.



But he apparently means it. "Even if you have a guy blow out a knee in training camp, don't call," Smith said.

Oooooooo.

If that's the case -- if Smith wouldn't consider giving up Turner under any set of circumstances -- will he really be able to let Turner walk away next March and get nothing in return?

When Drew Brees' rookie contract expired, Smith suggested that the team would slap the franchise tag on him simply because they couldn't justify getting nothing in return for his rights. And this makes us wonder whether Smith might be plotting an eventual franchising of Turner, if for no reason other than to get a draft pick or two for him next year.

Technically, teams aren't allowed to use the franchise tag simply as a way to facilitate a trade. And using the tag would require the Chargers to offer Turner a one-year salary in excess of $7 million. And if Turner signs the tender the salary becomes fully guaranteed.

But if the Chargers are serious about not trading Turner in 2007, we wouldn't be surprised to see the team try to find a way to trade him in 2008 in lieu of letting him walk away.

Why can I totally see AJ Smith doing this. Good Lord, I, and most likely no one else, wants to go through this again next year.

Why in the world would he say that? For 3 or 4 years I listened to people tell me that my team's GM, Tom Donahoe, acted like a pompous jerk and that it hurt his trade options. Man, Donahoe has nothing on AJ Smith.

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

Who is the backup RB to LJ in Kansas City and SA in Seattle or SJ in St. Louis (the other three RB's in LT's class)? They're irrelevant. Of course, if what I'm reading is true, San Diego doesn't have a weakness among all 22 starters that play each down. That said, how can anyone rank them below New England.

Super Bowl odds. The Chargers are still the favorites, ahead of the Colts and Pats.

Hmm...New England 2/1

San Deigo 6/1

Indianapolis 8/1

source

New England 6/5

San Diego 7/2

Indianapolis 5/1

source

New England 3/1

San Diego 6/1

Indianapolis 8/1

source

Did you miss this MT?

I didn't miss it. Different sites will have different lines. The ones I linked to are better than the ones you linked to. Seriously, Bodog has the favorite at 2-1, nsawins has the favorite at 6-5 :( , and Marasoft has the favorite at 3-1. Those are all complete ripoffs. AmericanFootballBetting had the favorite at 6.5-1, I think, but their futures wagers appear to have gone offline since this morning. Maybe they are re-doing them to rip people off more. Really, would even Tom Brady's mom bet $5 on the Patriots to win $6? That's an implied 45% chance that they'll win the Super Bowl.

 

[code]

Super Bowl odds. The Chargers are still the favorites, ahead of the Colts and Pats.

Did you miss this MT?

I didn't miss it. Different sites will have different lines. The ones I linked to are better than the ones you linked to.

Agreed, just thought your first assertion was pretty, um, iiiintereting

 

[Yitbos69]

any news?

 

[aposulli]

any news?

:(

 

[-OZ-]

"WHY WON'T YOU JUST DIE!!!"

 

[Burning Sensation]

any news?

The latest news was only news to Turner owners, and thats he is not a top 10 RB, and there should have never been a 30+ page thread about him.

 

[BusMan]

Think about this: what if LT2 suffers a career-ending injury this year?

 

[a_troll00]

Think about this: what if LT2 suffers a career-ending injury this year?

There is one particular reason why the Chargers have held tight to Turner... LT2 is a high mileage vehicle as far as running backs are concerned. He's been the workhorse of the offense for several seasons, and Turner is the Chargers' insurance policy at running back. Historically speaking, how long can one running back carry the offense? Honestly, not a real long time. In case anybody is looking for trade news on Turner, here's the only news you're going to hear... he's staying in San Diego.In the Larry Johnson thread, a lot of people are project LJ to get injured this season for some reason. He is still a relatively fresh back. LT2 is the back that makes me nervous, and he is the projected #1 RB this year. If I had the 1st pick in a draft this season, I would probably either trade the pick or take Jackson #1. IMO, LT2 has a hidden cost of picking him, you have to take Turner early as a handcuff before someone else grabs him.

 

[BusMan]

Think about this: what if LT2 suffers a career-ending injury this year?

There is one particular reason why the Chargers have held tight to Turner... LT2 is a high mileage vehicle as far as running backs are concerned. He's been the workhorse of the offense for several seasons, and Turner is the Chargers' insurance policy at running back. Historically speaking, how long can one running back carry the offense? Honestly, not a real long time. In case anybody is looking for trade news on Turner, here's the only news you're going to hear... he's staying in San Diego.In the Larry Johnson thread, a lot of people are project LJ to get injured this season for some reason. He is still a relatively fresh back. LT2 is the back that makes me nervous, and he is the projected #1 RB this year. If I had the 1st pick in a draft this season, I would probably either trade the pick or take Jackson #1. IMO, LT2 has a hidden cost of picking him, you have to take Turner early as a handcuff before someone else grabs him.

And on a related note, I'm going to try to snag MT before the LT2 owner does in my keep-three league this year.

 

[yellowdog]

Is it too late for the Packers to trade for Turner for this year? Brandon Jackson doesn't appear to be the answer.

ETA:

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

Is it too late for the Packers to trade for Turner for this year? Brandon Jackson doesn't appear to be the answer.ETA:

probably, I dont see AJ moving him now

 

[Despyzer]

probably, I dont see AJ moving him now

Me neither... not unless some team came in higher than his expectation of a first and a third that he had before the draft.

 

[LAUNCH]

I think if Marty was still the coach of SD then they might be more inclined to move him, but seeing AJ booted him he knows that his job is in jeopardy and will risk the potential long term gain of moving Turner for short term backfield & employment continuity.

Smith's job is not in jeopardy. (And AJ didn't boot Marty. See this post from earlier in the thread.)

A.J. SMITH IN HOT WATER?

There's increasing talk in league circles that Chargers G.M. A.J. Smith could be in some serious trouble if the fortunes of the team don't change quickly.

Smith won a protracted power struggle with coach Marty Schottenheimer in February, finagling his termination in February, after Schottenheimer apparently had survived the fallout from his team's stunning loss in a AFC divisional playoff game.

But now Smith is the guy who has full accountability for the team's performance. If they fail under new coach Norv Turner (and fail they have thus far), Smith will get the blame.

And, in the end, Smith could get the shoe.

The Chargers get a chance to pull back to .500 on Sunday when they host the 1-2 Kansas City Chiefs.

Interesting.

LAUNCH

 

[massraider]

I think if Marty was still the coach of SD then they might be more inclined to move him, but seeing AJ booted him he knows that his job is in jeopardy and will risk the potential long term gain of moving Turner for short term backfield & employment continuity.

Smith's job is not in jeopardy. (And AJ didn't boot Marty. See this post from earlier in the thread.)

A.J. SMITH IN HOT WATER?

There's increasing talk in league circles that Chargers G.M. A.J. Smith could be in some serious trouble if the fortunes of the team don't change quickly.

I don't believe that for a second. I would looove to believe that, but I don't.

 

[Carter_Can_Fly]

Rember this thread?

34 pages about a back up RB who ended up staying put. Well, he finally got his due and we will find out if he was worth a 34 page thread.

 

[stbugs]

Rember this thread?34 pages about a back up RB who ended up staying put. Well, he finally got his due and we will find out if he was worth a 34 page thread.

Too bad the league I sat him in my IR spot change the keeper rules this past year. We limited the keepers to 3, so I have no idea whether or not I will keep him. So tough with a guy like that where he could be great or could bust as we haven't seen him in real action. I really liked him enough to keep him all 2007 knowing he wouldn't see the light of day and being fairly certain that he would sign a FA deal. He is definitely a guy to watch in training camp and pre-season, especially if they end up drafting some OL early that pan out.

 

[Banger]

Rember this thread?34 pages about a back up RB who ended up staying put. Well, he finally got his due and we will find out if he was worth a 34 page thread.

unfortunately for Turner owners he couldn't have went to a worse team.

 

[mdog1967]

Rember this thread?34 pages about a back up RB who ended up staying put. Well, he finally got his due and we will find out if he was worth a 34 page thread.

unfortunately for Turner owners he couldn't have went to a worse team.

You may be right we will see. Remember that the Falcons are one season removed from being one of the Top rushing teams.

 

[Banger]

Rember this thread?34 pages about a back up RB who ended up staying put. Well, he finally got his due and we will find out if he was worth a 34 page thread.

unfortunately for Turner owners he couldn't have went to a worse team.

You may be right we will see. Remember that the Falcons are one season removed from being one of the Top rushing teams.

and the reason they were the "leading rushers" is in jail.

 

[fridayfrenzy]

Rember this thread?34 pages about a back up RB who ended up staying put. Well, he finally got his due and we will find out if he was worth a 34 page thread.

unfortunately for Turner owners he couldn't have went to a worse team.

You may be right we will see. Remember that the Falcons are one season removed from being one of the Top rushing teams.

and the reason they were the "leading rushers" is in jail.

Ya, don't get leading rushing teams confused with leading rushing RBs.Not only did Vick actually put up near 1000 yards of rushing, but he also took a ton of pressure off the RBs in the running game on the play action roll outs and defenses having to spy Vick.

 

[BoltBacker]

I think if Marty was still the coach of SD then they might be more inclined to move him, but seeing AJ booted him he knows that his job is in jeopardy and will risk the potential long term gain of moving Turner for short term backfield & employment continuity.

Smith's job is not in jeopardy. (And AJ didn't boot Marty. See this post from earlier in the thread.)

A.J. SMITH IN HOT WATER?

There's increasing talk in league circles that Chargers G.M. A.J. Smith could be in some serious trouble if the fortunes of the team don't change quickly.

Smith won a protracted power struggle with coach Marty Schottenheimer in February, finagling his termination in February, after Schottenheimer apparently had survived the fallout from his team's stunning loss in a AFC divisional playoff game.

But now Smith is the guy who has full accountability for the team's performance. If they fail under new coach Norv Turner (and fail they have thus far), Smith will get the blame.

And, in the end, Smith could get the shoe.

The Chargers get a chance to pull back to .500 on Sunday when they host the 1-2 Kansas City Chiefs.

Interesting.

LAUNCH

That was interesting.

 

[Carter_Can_Fly]

Rember this thread?34 pages about a back up RB who ended up staying put. Well, he finally got his due and we will find out if he was worth a 34 page thread.

unfortunately for Turner owners he couldn't have went to a worse team.

I think there was worst situations he could have went to then the Falcons. I mean there is better places he could have landed but he has a starting gig and it appears the Falcons have commited to making him the vocal point of their offense. Remember it is hard to gauge teams on offense from one year to the next. For instance the Raiders running game was abysmal two years ago and everyone thought it was going to stink heading into last season but they made Huggy Bear of all players look like a stud. I am reaming optimistic that Turner is good enough that even with an average line he will still produce solild fantasy production.

 

[fridayfrenzy]

Rember this thread?34 pages about a back up RB who ended up staying put. Well, he finally got his due and we will find out if he was worth a 34 page thread.

unfortunately for Turner owners he couldn't have went to a worse team.

I think there was worst situations he could have went to then the Falcons. I mean there is better places he could have landed but he has a starting gig and it appears the Falcons have commited to making him the vocal point of their offense. Remember it is hard to gauge teams on offense from one year to the next. For instance the Raiders running game was abysmal two years ago and everyone thought it was going to stink heading into last season but they made Huggy Bear of all players look like a stud. I am reaming optimistic that Turner is good enough that even with an average line he will still produce solild fantasy production.

I wouldn't call Atlanta an average line.It's good that Turner went somewhere where he will be a big part of the offense, but Atlanta has an abyssmal offense and will have trouble scoring. In fantasy production, TDs are key and if Turner is lacking in the TD department, I just fail to see how he will be a good fantasy RB.

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

LOL. I'm not a PFT basher in general -- but historically, everything they've written about AJ Smith has been the exact opposite of true. (I.e., it has been false.)